Improvement in apparatus for separating gold from sand



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Apparatus fort Separating Gold from S an d,&c

Nil-166,009. f PatentedJuly27,187 5 Jaw 'INVENTUB ATTORNEY WITNESSES-N,PETRS. FHOTO-UTHOGRAPNEH, WASHINGTON. D C,

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Apparatus for separa'til lg Gold from Sand,&c

N0.|66,009.r Patentedluly27,rl875 WITNESSES: INVENTOR JZ IiW/mATTORNEYS.

MPETERS, FHOTO-UTHOGRAPNER. WASHINGTON, D C.

THOMAS w. IRVIN, or EUREKA, can, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO ALEX.GILMORE, A. DOLAN, E. BROWN, AND MAURICE F. MOL'ONEY.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING GQLD FROM SAND, &c.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 166,009, dated July 27,1875; application filed September 19, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs' W. IRVIN, of Eureka, in the'county ofHumboldt and State of California, have invented a new and ImprovedApparatus for Separating Gold from Gold-Bearing Sand, &c., of which thefollowing is a specification:

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation,partly in section, in line 0 c, Fig. 3, of my improved apparatus forseparating gold from sand and other substances. I Fig. 2 is a detail topView of the re volving drier and separator combined therewith; Fig. 3, avertical longitudinal section of the apparatus on the line at m, Fig. 1;and Fig. 4, a sectional side elevation of the separating sandconductor.

Similar letters of reference spending parts.

The object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for separatinggold from sand and other substances, so that the full yield of thegold-bearing sands, &c., is obtained.

My invention consists of suitable apparatus for drying and separatingthe sand, and con veying the same by an elevator to a system ofconnected channels and conductors, in which the heavier gold particlesare separated from the sand by the current of an exhausting-fan, and thecurrent of air and its force is changed and regulated by adjustablevalves, while additional chambers or receptacles collect, the finermixture of gold-dust and sand for transmission to the amalgamator.

In the drawing, A represents a stationary outer cylinder, with fire-boxand chimney bein g placed under suitable inclination, and provided withtwo interior revolving cylinders, B B, of which the inner one is coveredwith wirecloth or perforated sheet-iron, while the larger cylinder is ofsheet-iron.

The gold-bearing sand, grave], or other substance is conducted to theinterior cylinder B by means of a hopper at the front or higher part ofthe same, so that the sand is sifted in its passage through thecylinders, the coarser matters being retained in the inner cylinder,while the finer particles pass into the outer cylinder B, and are therecompletely dried by indicate correthe heat in the incasing stationarycylinder.

The adhesion of the gdld and sand particles is thereby destroyed, sothat the current offrom the inner cylinder to some suitable point,

to be carried ofi', while the gold-bearing sand is conducted, by slottedapertures a at the projectin g lower end of cylinder B, to buckets O ofanelevator, G, which carries the sand up and discharges it into aninclined chute, D. The sand is conveyed into the main. separator E fromthe chute l) by a lateral slot, 1), and is exposed therein to the strongairicurrent produced by the exhausting or suction fan F. The mainseparator E consists of two nearlyupright tubular parts, withsemicircular connecting top section. A system of lateral pivoted valves,E is arranged in the upright parts of the main separator E, said valvesbeing adjustable from the outside by pivoted rods (1 and screw-nuts e,as indicated clearly in Fig. 3, so that the apertures or openingsbetween the valves may be opened or closed, as required, and thereby theforce of the current regulated. The descending gold-sand,

entering at slot 11 of the main separator, is

acted upon by the ascending current of air entering into the mainseparator through lower valve E and is thrown violently through thevalve-openings. The lighter particles of gold and sand are blown alongthe top channel to the opposite valve system, while the heavier goldparticles settle in the bottom parts of the main separator, and aredrawn ofi by suitable valves E of the same. ticles are drawn then inupward direction against a semicircular diaphragm, G, a part thereofsettling again ina pointed angular receptacle, G, while the rest passesaround diaphragm G, in upward direction, to the cylindricalside-extending channels H, which form the connection with the segmentalconductors H, whose vertical end extensions pass down to both sides ofthe fan casing F, opening therein, and discharging the sand through theaperture F to the outside. Additional triangular receptacles H at thelower straight part of conductors H are connected therewith by lateralapertures f, and serve, in the same The lighter parmanner as receptacleG, for the collection of a still finer mixture of gold-dust and sand,which mixture is drawn off by suitable valves of both receptacles intothe amalgamator L,

- to be there finally separated by the revolving stirrer or agitator L,having spirally-arranged teeth or points for working oil the sand. Thestraight part or partition, separating conductor H and receptacle H ismade adjustable by a pivoted guide-bolt and set-screw 9, Fig. 4, insimilar manner as the valves E so that the position of the same may alsobe regulated according to the draft and the quality of the gold-bearingsand.

7 h course of the sand, in the main separator and side conductor, asfollowing the suction of the fan, is indicated by arrows in Fig. 3, thefan drier and separator, elevator, and amalgamator being revolved bysuitable pulleys and belts from the driving-shaft above the fan.

The successive changes in the direction of the air-current produce, inconnection with the gold-collecting receptacles, the nearlycompleteextraction of the gold particles, so that a very small, if any, part ofthe same is lost, and thereby an automatically-working apparatus ofgreat efiicacy is obtained.

Having thus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patcut-- 1. The apparatus for separating gold fromgold-bearing sands and other substances, composed of a revolving drierand separator, an

elevator, an upright main separator, with adjustable valves andsegmental side conductors, and a suction-fan, all being combined andoperated by suitable motive power, substantially in the manner and forthe purpose set forth.

2. The main. separator E, consisting of upright parts, with pivotedadjustable valves E and bottom valves E E connected by a rounded -offtop part,'substantially as specified.

3. The inner semicircular diaphragm G and angular receptacle G below thesame, in combination with conducting-channels H, as shown and described.

4. The main separator E, in combination with segmental conductors H byupper side extending channels H, as described.

5. The segmental conductors H provided with triangular receptacle H andadjustable partition, for the purpose of collecting a still finermixture of gold and sand for amalgamation, as described.

THOMAS W. IRVIN. Witnesses:

N. BULLOCK, DAN. PIOKARD.

